Ironman Hawaii 1990

Ironman Hawaii

By 1990, aerobars had become standard equipment. A few artifacts from tri gear history in this pic: excessively large brake levers, external press-in headset, and a vertical water bottle carrier between the aerobars. Photo: Lois Schwartz

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Like Allen in the men's field, Paula Newby-Fraser established herself in 1989 as the overwhelming favorite in the women's field, beating Sylviane Puntous by 21 minutes. But Erin Baker, her most dangerous rival, wasn't in the field that year. She returned in 1990. Photo: Lois Schwartz

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Erin Baker put about half a minute into Newby-Fraser in the swim and slowly stretched her lead, including another two minutes on the bike. The 1987 winner was well on her way to reestablishing herself. Photo: Lois Schwartz

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Allen struggled to keep himself hydrated and was shouting for updates on Tinley. Despite the fact that he typically wouldn't be Allen's biggest threat, he correctly ID'd Tinley as a danger in the heat. Photo: Lois Schwartz

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Ironman Hawaii 1990

Erin Baker was a machine on the day. She put in the consummate all-around performance, besting Newby-Fraser in all three disciplines. She won in 9:13:42, almost 7 minutes ahead of Newby-Fraser. It was the final world title of her career. Photo: Lois Schwartz